1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to electronic mail system and in particular to electronic mail dictionaries. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for linking electronic mail dictionaries.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic mail (email) is extensively utilized as a professional, educational, and personal mode of communication. Mail user agents (MUA) such as Eudora™, IBM Lotus Notes™, Microsoft Outlook™, and Outlook Express™ provide interfaces that allow users to spell check and personalize documents prior to transmitting the message to the intended receiver(s) over the Internet. While the methods for spell checking and personalizing documents have proven to be effective, there are many disadvantages associated with linking the spelling preferences of a dispatched message with the spelling preferences of an intended email recipient.
Several problems exist with sending email messages with personalized spellings and/or definitions of acronyms and words. First, a user may prepare an email with an acronym that has been intentionally skipped during spell check or a word with a desired misspelling. During response to the email, the intended receiver(s) may utilize terminology received in the email, and is prompted to skip or change the spelling of the perceived misspelled word(s) during spell check. Next, the use of acronyms, words, or terminology may be utilized in a corporation or institution but not to the recipient of the email message. During response to the message, a spell check command forces the recipient to address all words, even those words with spellings relative to the terminology being discussed.
The task of skipping acronyms or words of intentional misspelling during response to an email is time consuming and unnecessary. The recipient of an email message may receive a word or acronym that is not frequently utilized or available in a public dictionary, but contains significant meaning to the user or organization of origin. Corporations such as engineering firms, research facilities, financial institutions, and many other companies often utilize words that are defined solely by their organization. Also, there are definitions of words and acronyms that may not exist in the recipient's email preferences. Therefore, the recipient(s) may not understand the undefined word(s) or acronym(s) in the received message.
Dictionaries and spell checking applications exist in current mail user agents. Applications have been implemented to check misspelled words, improper grammar, and inappropriate words found in an email prior to distribution. However no MUA allows an email message to link words and acronyms with desired misspellings to dictionary preferences of the email recipient. Words and acronyms with definitions unique to an organization or user may not be transported to the email recipient as correct words or terminology. Therefore, the spell check of a responding message must also address words and terminology with desired misspellings that were skipped, defined, or added as words in the received email message.